Three-dimensional assessment of Upper Airway in Class III patients with different facial patterns

BACKGROUND: To evaluate three-dimensionally the upper airway (UA) of class III adults with different facial patterns. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted, in which cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images from a private clinic in Viña del Mar, Chile were evaluated. The sample consisted of CBCT images of 59 skeletal class III subjects (33 females and 26 males, mean age 24.7 years) in which the vertical facial pattern was determined using the Vert index, and the minimum cross-sectional area and total volume of the UA were measured. The minimum cross-sectional area variable was analyzed by ANOVA and the total volume was analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis test. Statistical analyses were performed with JASP 0.13.1 software at p=0.05. RESULTS: The sample included images of 21 brachyfacial, 14 mesofacial and 24 dolichofacial subjects. The mean minimum cross-sectional area of the sample was 591.78 mm2 +/- 149.38 mm2 (minimum=352.00 mm2; maximum=971.00 mm2), being greater in brachyfacial than in dolichofacial and mesofacial subjects, however, these differences were not significant (p=0.147). The mean total volume of the sample was 13.40 +/- 4.69 cm3 (minimum=7.16 cm3; maximum=25.66 cm3), being greater in brachyfacial than in dolichofacial and mesofacial subjects, however, these differences were not significant (p=0.353). CONCLUSIONS: Considering the limitations of the present study, the vertical facial pattern does not appear to significantly influence upper airway measurements in skeletal class III adults. Key words:Airway, cephalometry, cone-beam computed tomography, facial pattern, malocclusion, Angle class III.